Book
To a Mountain in Tibet
First published 2011
After the death of the last member of his immediate family, Colin Thubron undertakes a pilgrimage toward Mount Kailas, the remote Tibetan mountain sacred to Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Beginning in Nepal, he follows river valleys and high passes with local companions before crossing into western Tibet, meeting villagers, monks, pilgrims and exiles on the way to the mountain.
The journey is both geographical and personal. Thubron reflects on grief and mortality while tracing the myths and religious practices that have made Kailas a destination for centuries. Contemporary Tibet supplies a sharper counterpoint: damaged and rebuilt monasteries, Chinese state authority, migration and the memories of political campaigns coexist with revived pilgrimage. The mountain therefore becomes a meeting point between private bereavement, enduring sacred geography and the disputed modern history of Tibet.
Historical Periods
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